NOTES for Mat 14:22-36

When reading miracle stories, we should understand that they are no less meaningful and no less addressed to us, the readers, than Jesus' direct words when He teaches the disciples "how to live." Their purpose is never to amaze the reader's imagination ("Wow... that's incredible!"), especially since the modern reader is no less skeptical than the ancient one. Therefore, at the center of this story is not the miracle ("So Christ could walk on water!"), but first of all Jesus Himself, the future conqueror of death, since water is a symbol of chaos and death, and second, faith as the realization of the relationship between Christ and His disciple. Both of these concern us directly. The miracle takes place not only on the pages of the Gospel: Christ's victory over death, the victory of faith over absurdity and chaos, is the miracle that happens in the life of every disciple, regardless of his ability to walk on water.